


Junon Interlude

by Hey_Pretty



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997)
Genre: Alcohol, Angst, Eventual Romance, F/M, Mild Sexual Content, Mildly Dubious Consent, Whumptober 2020, enemies to lovers (kinda)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:27:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26927341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hey_Pretty/pseuds/Hey_Pretty
Summary: Tifa ends up alone in Junon after the events at Northern Crater. Meteor hangs in the sky, Cloud's whereabouts are unknown, and her friends are MIA. In the midst of her anxiety, Rufus Shinra ends up an unexpected source of comfort.Prompt No.7 for Whumptober 2020: I've Got You - Enemy to Caretaker
Relationships: Tifa Lockhart/Rufus Shinra
Comments: 20
Kudos: 43





	1. Rude Awakening

**Author's Note:**

> Hope y'all enjoy this small bit of Rufti.
> 
> Prompt No.7 for Whumptober 2020: I've Got You - Enemy to Caretaker

He stood before a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows. The setting sun dipped into the ocean and painted the sky in brilliant pinks and oranges. The colors danced and shimmered off the water and would have been regarded as picturesque if not for the angry red orb that hung in the sky. He grimaced and shut his eyes. They were running out of time. 

His phone vibrated with a notification and he quickly pulled it from his pocket. He checked the screen and saw the usual alert: “Motion detected.” He sighed and clicked on the message. He anticipated the regular scene of a nurse checking in, but his breath caught when he checked the footage. Instead of a prone figure who had been in a coma for a week, he saw a petite brunette awake and sitting up. 

“Finally.”

=============

She was startled by his entrance. She didn’t know where she was, how she got there, or why he was there. She was already disoriented and confused and now she was panicked. She moved quickly to get out of bed. As her feet hit the floor, her legs betrayed her and she fell hard. She sat herself up gingerly, wincing at the aches in her joints and muscles. She shook her head, trying to comprehend what just happened. 

A pair of legs in white trousers appeared before her line of sight and she watched as they squat down and a hand extended to her. She stared at the hand and then looked up at the face. Cold blue eyes met her gaze as a small smirk played on his full lips. Blonde hair fell perfectly to frame his two stunning features.

“Rufus Shinra?”

Her throat was sore and voice raspy as she spoke the name. His smirk deepened, threatened to become a proper smile.

“At your service.”

She glanced from his face to his hand and then back to his face, her own face pained, unsure of what she should do. She watched him close his eyes and sigh through his nose and then open his eyes again.

“Come, now. I’m not going to hurt you.”

The smoothness of his voice and the coolness with which he spoke, combined with his looks, caused her to be even more disoriented and confused. Growing increasingly impatient, he raised an eyebrow and indicated to his hand. Reluctantly, she grabbed it and allowed him to pull her to her feet. This time, she noticed how weak her legs were. They felt like they were asleep and she winced as sharp cramps went up both of her legs. She wobbled and instinctively reached forward with her free hand, grabbing his forearm as he caught her by the elbow. 

She stole a glance at him as a warmth invaded her cheeks. His face was frustratingly impassive as he refused to make eye contact while he guided her to the bed. As soon as she was close enough, she withdrew from him and hoisted herself back onto the bed. She finally took a moment to survey her surroundings. He regarded her with a tiny smirk and playful glint in his eye. 

Tifa finally looked back at him and stared, curious about the look on his face. 

"Where am I?”

"You're at Shinra HQ in Junon. Specifically, the infirmary ward. You've been unconscious for seven days." 

He raised an eyebrow in anticipation of her reaction. Her eyes widened and she gasped. 

"Seven days?! What happened? Where are the others?”

His smirk transformed into a small frown and his eyebrows furrowed before answering. 

"Status unknown. I hoped they would have shown up by now."

If Tifa didn't know better, she thought she saw a hint of concern in his eyes, perhaps pity? She looked down at her lap and bit her lip. Tears stung at her eyes. 

"I don’t understand. What happened?" 

Rufus stared at her. Could she not remember? He paced the floor in front of her as he recounted the details. He could hardly describe what was one of the most bizarre scenes he ever witnessed. It felt like he intruded on something incredibly intimate. He had no idea what was going on and didn’t particularly care to know, but he started to understand that some, if not all of it, was quite pertinent to being able to defeat Sephiroth and why Cloud was the key. 

Tifa watched as Rufus paced and spoke about the events from the cave. His brow was furrowed and his mouth set in a deep frown. Occasionally, he would look at her, hoped she would elaborate or fill in the blanks. Everything came back to her in flashes. Had she truly doubted Cloud? Did she let him fall apart when he relied on her the most?

Rufus finally quit pacing and fixed his eyes on her. She appeared to be trembling. He took a step towards her. 

“You were all going to die down there. Once we were on the airship, I’m not sure what happened, but you were unconscious. I let your friends go so they could find Cloud, but you’ve been under my care ever since.”

Tifa gulped and looked away. She felt herself falling apart under his steely gaze as he clenched his jaw and awaited her response. Everything felt like her fault. Why did she ever doubt Cloud? Of course, he was real! Their memories weren’t fake. That night under the water tower, the promise, he remembered when he first arrived in Midgar. That was how she knew it was her Cloud when she was unsure at first. 

She closed her eyes and began to cry, not caring that Rufus was standing right there, staring at her. She heard him take a step towards her and as she opened her eyes she saw a hand holding out a handkerchief. She looked up at him, astonished by the kind gesture. No matter the kindness, he appeared annoyed all the same. With a sigh, he dropped the handkerchief just beside her on the bed. She sniffled and averted her gaze as she picked it up and dabbed at her face. She couldn’t ignore that it smelled very nice. 

_Probably his cologne._

She blushed. He was being uncharacteristically benevolent, even taking into account how exasperated he seemed. He took care of her for seven days and let her friends go so they could find Cloud. 

_Cloud…_

She looked up and found him standing by the window, deep in thought. 

“So, what now?”

She hated how her voice wavered as she spoke. He kept his back to her when he responded.

“Well, for my next plan, you’ll be my shining star. I’ve scheduled a public execution.”

Tifa balked. She thought too soon about his kindness. 

“What?!” she cried out. 

He turned and moved towards her. A playful glint returned to his eyes as he spoke nonchalantly.

"The public wants someone to blame. They're upset and clamoring for someone's head on a silver platter. They're already blaming AVALANCHE for the Mako reactor bombings and the platefall..."

He trailed off as he noticed Tifa began to hyperventilate. He stood in front of her and his left hand tilted her chin up and he looked right into her eyes. She stopped breathing altogether, stunned at the unexpected touch. If she had more of her wits about her, she would have slapped him away or punched him right in the face. His voice was low and soft but with an air of menace. 

"Calm down. I said before I’m not going to hurt you. That’s why you'll be my shining _star_." 

His eyes gleamed as he looked down at her. They roved over her alarmed face and beheld the delicate features, especially the red tint to her eyes. He had never seen anything like it. 

"It'll be an act. You won’t actually die,” he finally clarified.

He watched the wave of relief wash over her and he removed his hand from her chin as he stepped away from her. She stared at him in bemusement. His face changed to that odd expression from earlier as he contemplated. She wondered again if he pitied her. 

"I'm hoping your friends will show up when they realize you're in danger, mainly your boyfriend." 

He caught the flicker in her eyes when he said the last word. She looked away and down at her hands in her lap. He barely caught the words as she muttered them.

"It's all my fault." 

She was crying again.

He sighed. His eagerness to speak with her now that she was awake overrode the rationale to page a nurse. He realized too late he should have let someone check on her first. He looked around and spotted the call button. He started towards it as she kept talking. 

"You said it yourself. I'm part of AVALANCHE and they already blame us for the explosions and Sector 7. I doubted Cloud and he turned over the Black Materia. Maybe we should have let you handle it after all..."

He froze at her words and his face contorted into an ugly sneer. Now that she mentioned it, he was angry that she and her little rag-tag group of friends kept getting in the way. He turned and glared at her and his response dripped with disdain.

"I'm glad you've finally noticed we share the same goal. We hoped to reach the Keystone and Black Materia before your group did. Maybe if we had, the world wouldn't be ending in seven days.”

Her words and tears came up short as she looked at him, perturbed.

"W-what?" she asked shakily.

His eyebrows raised as his mouth fell open slightly. Then, his eyes narrowed and his lips curled into a dark smile. Tifa shivered as the look terrified her. 

"That's right. You've been rather indisposed since it appeared."

He walked back to the window and yanked open the blinds. There, hanging in the sky, was an awful, menacing, glowing orb. She gasped.

"Meteor," he stated in a rather resigned manner. 

Its simple appearance was sobering enough to dull his temper.

He turned to witness her reaction. She was suddenly very pale and her eyes glassed over. She listed to the side of the bed and he moved in a flash to catch her before she hit the floor. She lay against him, limp, face towards his chest as he knelt with one knee on the floor.

“Shit,” he muttered. 

He looked back up at the call light and saw it wasn't lit up, a reminder that he didn’t quite reach it before his frustration got the better of him. He sighed and looked back down at her. Her eyes and nose red from crying. Skin pale from shock. Lips in a deep frown. She looked sad and broken. An unfamiliar stab of pity twisted inside him and he found himself frowning as well. She was really too pretty to look so distressed. 

She stirred suddenly and came to. His expression quickly turned stony as she looked up at him. She blinked several times and smiled up at him, but soon became bewildered and pushed against him to sit on the floor. She thought Cloud held her at first when she looked up at blue eyes and blonde hair but quickly realized, much to her horror, that something wasn't right. She looked down at the floor in embarrassment. Rufus watched her and his mood shifted from annoyed to amused. He was able to guess her reason for confusion and embarrassment being due to mistaken identity.

"I’m surprised he hasn't shown up yet." 

Her head shot up and wide eyes looked into his as a huge blush colored her cheeks. He smirked as he extended his hand to help her up again. She bit her lip before she accepted it. This time, she was careful not to touch him more than necessary. Once she was back on the bed she withdrew her hand immediately.

"Did he make it out of the cave?"

His smirk disappeared and he moved to a look of impassiveness. He was worried she might faint again. He turned from her and reached for the call button. He made sure to hit it this time. 

"Rufus." 

She sounded nervous. He looked back at her sharply, unused to being addressed by his first name, and watched her closely. He was careful to keep his tone even.

"I don't know. I was only able to account for you and the others."

She looked away as tears threatened once again. 

_Not again._

She was lucky to see him again after so many years since Nibelheim. Then, she believed he was dead again after Reactor 5. Now, this? Could there be a chance at all? Would she be so lucky again? It was all her fault for doubting him.

She was outright sobbing now. He stepped back from her and shook his head. He knew from her dossier and the Turks’ accounts that she was quite strong and fairly resilient so he was very much thrown off by her bouts of fainting and crying. 

"A nurse should be here soon. You're in shock and probably need to eat." 

This was his only attempt at soothing her, but it surprisingly had some effect. Her shoulders stopped shaking and she wiped her nose with his handkerchief. Then she looked at him, tear-stained eyes and all, and smiled slightly.

"You seem different from your father."

This comment took him aback and he glared at her. His lips moved to say something, but it was at that same moment a nurse finally arrived. He composed himself quickly as the nurse greeted him with a hasty nod and a polite "Sir" before tending to Tifa. As the nurse began checking vitals, Rufus made his way towards the door. 

Tifa suddenly called out to him. 

"Rufus!" 

The nurse looked at her with shock and disapproval. Tifa caught the look and course-corrected. 

"Er, Mr. President, sir." 

Rufus stared and waited. She stared back for a moment before finally spoke again.

"Thank you". 

He simply nodded in acknowledgment and left the room. The nurse spoke to Tifa then. 

"Did he give you that?" 

She gestured to the handkerchief in her hands. She looked down at it and then at the nurse. She hesitated.

"Yes, it was nice of him.”

She smiled slightly, thankful for the nurse's presence. 

The nurse gushed.

"Oh, sis! You're lucky! I'm surprised he was here at all. He's a very busy man, you know, especially with that dreaded Meteor. I hope Shinra can do something about it..." 

Tifa was at a loss for words as the nurse continued to speak and fret over her, checking vitals and lines and fluids. She stared out the window at Meteor and frowned. She found herself hoping for the same thing, that Shinra could fix it. How she could go from hating everything about Shinra to placing her hope in them was just another sign of the desperate times they were in. 

She looked back down at the handkerchief. 

_Desperate indeed._

============

Tifa lay awake that night and stared up at the ceiling, the glow of Meteor coming through the closed blinds. She was unconscious for seven days and so many thoughts haunted her. She hadn't asked nearly enough questions when Rufus was with her earlier. Instead, she spent nearly all that time crying. She felt embarrassed, but in the grand scheme of things, did it matter? The world was ending and she wasn't sure if Cloud was alive or dead. 

She felt herself wanting to cry again. Rufus was right earlier. She was tired and shocked and starved. Food and attention from the nurse helped immensely, along with a much-needed change of clothes, but she was still anxious and alone. She gripped the handkerchief tightly that was still in her hand. She never really let it go since he gave it to her. Oddly enough, it became an anchor, a totem, something to hold onto in all this uncertainty. The irony of that being provided by Rufus Shinra, of all people, albeit unwittingly, was not lost on her. 

She began to wonder what took place in the last seven days. Had she been left alone the whole time with only nurses checking in on her? Did Rufus check in, hoping she would finally be awake? Her thoughts trailed to Rufus being around her while she was unconscious. Seven days she laid here vulnerable and alone. No one to defend or protect her. Yet here she was, safe and sound, completely unscathed. He really had taken care of her.

She held up the handkerchief and examined it. It was made of a soft, silky, black material with a fine thread of silver stitched around the edge. In one corner, the initials "RS" was stitched with the same silver thread. A finger ran over the small raised letters. 

Then, without much forethought, she brought the handkerchief to her nose and inhaled deeply. It still smelled so lovely. It was a nice, fresh, clean scent, and she found it strangely comforting. Living in the slums, there weren't many "fresh, clean" scents. It's what she missed most about her hometown: the crisp outdoor air, the beaming sunshine, and the mountain rains. She sighed longingly but still felt an unexpected peace settle over her. Her eyelids soon felt heavy and eventually fluttered closed. 

She wouldn’t remember in the morning, but she dreamt of blue eyes and blonde hair in the mountains.


	2. Backfire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day of reckoning is upon Tifa, but she doesn't have anything to worry about, right? However, Rufus may have more to worry about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this update took so long! I planned to update last week but I got caught up writing for the later parts instead of this part. Whoops. But that means the next update will be sooner, right? I mean, that's how it should work...
> 
> I also had something completely different written for this part but decided I didn't like it and had a better idea. So... basically re-wrote almost this entire chapter. Again, whoops.

Rufus woke with a start the next morning. Blue eyes flew open and a gasp escaped his mouth. He swallowed thickly as he recalled his dreams from last night. However, the details were fleeting and became harder to grasp the longer he was awake, except for one image that resolved to linger. Tifa was mortally wounded and Rufus held her in his lap as she bled out. Her dull red eyes stared up at him as he watched her take her last breath. 

He shook his head and threw off the sheets as he sat up and exited the bed quickly. It was going to be a busy day, as always, but exceptionally so as he needed to make sure all preparations were ready. 

Especially with someone’s life on the line. 

=========

Her head shot up when she heard the door open. She was staring at the handkerchief in her hand. The nurse checked on her earlier and another unexpected visitor already stopped by so she could guess he would show up soon. She was right. 

Rufus stood before her in his iconic white suit and his face was impassive as always but seemed to soften as soon as he laid eyes on her.

“Good afternoon,” he greeted her. 

She nodded her head nervously. How good of an afternoon could it be when she spent all morning worried about her impending execution and wondered if she would truly die or not. Rufus reassured her it was an act, a ploy to draw out Cloud and her friends but how much could she trust him? It would be foolish to put much stock into his word. 

His eyes narrowed as he looked at her, confusion settled on his features.

“Did they not provide a change of clothes?”

Tifa looked down and then back at him. She was back in her regular clothes, freshly laundered thankfully.

“They did, but it had the Shinra logo all over it.”

She smirked as she recalled changing into the clothes last night before bed. They appeared to be the uniform Shinra gave their recruits for basic training. Soft white t-shirt with a pair of black sweatpants and the red and gold Shinra logo printed in the upper left quadrant of each article of clothing.

Rufus’ brow furrowed and Tifa felt she should clarify. 

“She said it wouldn’t look good to execute a terrorist dressed head-to-toe in Shinra swag. She also mentioned the folks back in Midgar needed to recognize me from the security footage from the Mako reactor bombing.”

Rufus froze.

“She? Who do you mean?”

Tifa reacted to his confusion with her own. She figured he already knew, was probably the one who sent her.

“Scarlet.”

Rufus worked to keep his cool but could feel his face growing hot from anger. Strict orders were given that only he would have contact with Tifa and no one else was to interact with her, aside from her nurse or doctor.

“You didn’t say anything to her, did you? Didn’t give her an impression anything else is taking place?”

“No.”

Tifa looked incredibly solemn as she spoke and she sounded resigned. 

“Because you think I’ll let you die?”

Tifa simply stared at him. He sighed.

“Trust me.”

He didn’t mean for those words to come out. It wasn’t important if she trusted him or not. All that mattered was that she would be safe, regardless of any reassurance from him or not, but he felt an overwhelming urge to ease her mind. 

“I don’t,” she retorted.

A tense moment passed between them as they stared at one another in silence. Rufus was the first to look away and gazed out the window instead. Meteor still loomed. He checked the time on his phone.

“Guards will be here shortly to escort you.”

He looked back at her and found her staring down at the handkerchief he gave her the night before. A small smirk played at his lips. She looked up suddenly as if she felt his eyes on her, and he moved to make his face impassive again.

“Do you want this back?” she asked shyly.

He scoffed. He didn’t need it back, he had plenty, but he was genuinely surprised she hadn’t lost track of it or simply set it aside. 

“No, keep it.”

An awkward silence fell between them before Rufus decided to take his leave. He went for the door and spared one last glance at her. She already looked back down at her lap. He assumed she was about to cry again. He left the room quickly.

==========

Tifa followed noiselessly to wherever they planned to kill her. There were two guards with her but she never tried to fight or run away. Part of her compliance was due to her trust in Rufus she wouldn’t die. Part of it was her unfailing optimism that Cloud and her friends would save her just in time. But another part of her was simply too terrified to come up with a plan. She didn’t have her gear or materia. She wasn’t familiar with Junon HQ and had no allies with her. The only person she could make plans with and get information from was Rufus Shinra. And she was about to find out if he was a true ally or not. 

They finally stepped into a large room filled with cameras and reporters. Tifa’s anxiety shot through the roof. It hadn’t fully registered with her that she was going to be on television, that her execution would be broadcast to the entire world. 

“She is the one who brought this madness into the world!” Scarlet exclaimed to the press as Tifa entered the room.

Scarlet stood in the middle of the room in her signature red dress with her hands on her hips and a confident smirk upon her lips. 

Tifa wished she could fall through the floor. Every eye and lens was on her now as she trembled and felt like she was going to throw up. Scarlet sneered at her.

“We’ll be broadcasting your miserable death live on television.”

A reporter from the crowd shouted.

“Scarlet, why a public execution in this day and age?”

Tifa thought they looked very funny looking yet almost familiar. Could it be? Perhaps her friends were here! A sudden jolt of hope shot through her. 

“With the chaos resulting from Meteor, we desperately need to rally public support. It’s better that we punish somebody, anybody,” Scarlet replied matter-of-factly as if public executions were something she participated in regularly.

“You make me sick,” Tifa replied.

Scarlet laughed cruelly in her direction while bringing an elegant hand to her chest.

“Oh, honey. They’ll never admit it, but everyone loves this stuff.”

She stood in front of her now. Her hand reached up to touch Tifa’s cheek where tears ran down. Tifa flinched away.

“Camera, this way!” Scarlet turned and shouted.

“Make sure you get this. The audience will eat this up!”

She turned back to Tifa. 

“Any last words? Say goodbye to your friends?”

Tifa simply hung her head. Before she knew what was happening, she was dragged to a large steel door, almost like a vault. She stared at it, confused by what could be behind it. Tifa realized too late she should have pressed Rufus for more details. The door opened quickly and Scarlet shoved her inside. Tifa didn’t appreciate being man-handled.

“What are you doing?”

Scarlet smirked at her. 

“This is my special gas chamber. Take your time and enjoy a slow, painful death.”

Tifa stared wordlessly in disbelief as a guard came up behind her to undo her bindings. She was too stunned and terrified to move her limbs before Scarlet pushed her roughly back into a chair. The same guard started binding her wrists to the armrests. She stared up at Scarlet who wore a smug look on her face.

Tifa opened her mouth to comment again on how disgusted she was but Scarlet raised a hand and slapped her hard across the face, enough to cause her head to swivel. She missed the sound of a key hitting the floor from the ringing in her ears and the sound of Scarlet laughing as she walked out with the guard close behind her. The door slammed shut with a frightening finality. 

=============

Rufus watched the entire scene from a television screen in his office. He watched the closed-circuit version instead of the live broadcast. He couldn’t see the tears in Tifa’s eyes, but he heard the way Scarlet taunted her and he definitely witnessed the slap she gave her. Scarlet never did anything without putting on a show or being needlessly cruel. His lip curled in disgust. The kind of company his father kept was beyond anything he imagined and the things he learned over the last few days were beyond the pale. His stomach turned at the thought. He became startled from the disturbing ruminations when a loud emergency alert sounded followed up with red flashing emergency lights.

“Emergency! Emergency! Weapon’s approaching! Attention all military personnel: take your positions!”

“Dammit,” he cursed to himself.

Heidegger appeared behind him slightly out of breath.

“It’s Weapon.”

Rufus took a deep breath while he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He already had a headache from poor sleep and the anxiety of pulling off a fake execution without stirring suspicion. 

“There’s been so many attacks lately. Can we handle it?”

“I believe so. Your orders?”

Rufus sighed and didn’t even spare a glance to Heidegger as he responded.

“No need to ask.”

Rufus ignored Heidegger as he turned to give orders to the awaiting soldiers and returned to the television screen. Tifa was still strapped in the chair. He paced the room and turned to the window as Heidegger yelled. 

“FIRE!”

Rufus watched as a fireball blasted forth and landed in the ocean creating a massive wave. There was a moment of stillness before Rufus finally spoke. 

“Did we get ‘em?”

“Seems so…” Heidegger started before the alarms went off again. 

“It can’t be! We hit it dead on!”

Rufus glared at him. 

“How about the cannon?”

“It’ll take time to reload,” Heidegger growled. 

Rufus looked back at the screen before he responded. She still hadn’t moved. Why wasn’t she moving?

“Then use regular firepower in the meantime!” Rufus yelled.

Within seconds, a volley of gunfire emitted from the shore and set off towards Weapon, but there was no effect. Rufus backed up from the window as Weapon approached. It was going to attack before the cannon reloaded. He looked back to the screen again. Tifa was still in the chair. 

He took off past Heidegger. He needed to get Tifa out of there before Weapon attacked. He made it into the hallway as the entire building shook as if there was an earthquake. Weapon had struck. He reached for his phone so he could pull up the footage there and saw that Tifa finally found the key on the floor and attempted to escape. 

“Yes,” he breathed.

He leaned against the wall and released a breath he unwittingly held. He looked back at his phone again to see her progress. She was at the door finally. 

_Perfect…_

But he quickly became horrified when he realized the gas was activated. Scarlet wasn’t supposed to be able to activate the gas, the switch was supposed to fail. His heart started to race. The emergency system must have overridden all of his counter-measures and now Tifa might actually die.

He swiped to another program on his phone and pressed the screen to select a command to unlock the door. He received an error instead. His hand shook as he selected the command again and received the same error.

“Shit.”

=======

Tifa beat desperately at the door. Tears stung at her eyes as she held her breath for what felt like an eternity. She found herself taking in small breaths and the fumes singed her throat and felt like she was drowning. She was running out of time. She couldn’t believe she was about to die.

She heard your life flashes before your eyes when you’re about to die but that was wrong. She could only think about this single moment in this gas chamber and taking her last few breaths. She was mad that she was going to die like this. She was mad that she thought she saw her friend earlier and they hadn’t saved her yet. She was mad that she believed Rufus when he told her to trust him. She didn’t want to die so she foolishly hoped in his reassurance that she wouldn’t. 

_Rufus…_

She gasped without thinking and coughed violently at the sharp intake of fumes. She resumed holding her breath as she frantically dug into one of her pockets. She pulled out the handkerchief and quickly used it to cover her nose and mouth. She took shallow breaths through the cloth and felt some relief when her airways didn’t burn as badly. She continued beating on the door with her other hand and prayed to whoever was out there for mercy.

Her attempts were futile. While the handkerchief provided a small reprieve, her vision continued to gray around the edges and she felt herself becoming lightheaded. She felt weak and found herself slipping onto her hands and knees to the ground. She tried to cough but her airways were sealed up as she clutched at her throat instinctively. Tears fell as she tried to cry out but her mouth moved without making a sound. This wasn’t happening. She couldn’t end like this, a slow, silent death, save for the beating of her fist against the ground. She collapsed completely as her vision faded to nothing and a strangled cry remained trapped in her throat.

===========

A few moments later the door finally opened and guards found Tifa’s body on the floor in front of it.

“She’s dead,” one announced.

Scarlet scoffed from behind them as she shoved both guards out of the way and walked over to Tifa’s body. She observed her lifeless body, laid on her stomach, face turned away from her, one hand clutched at her throat while the other was stretched out towards the door. She cocked her head to the side when she noticed something lying near her body. She bent carefully to retrieve it. Her eyes narrowed and lips pursed into a smirk as she recognized the rich fabric and initials. 

She stood and turned at the sound of hurried footsteps and an audible gasp. Her smirk deepened when she saw it was the President himself. He stood frozen a few feet away at the sight of her body. 

“Is she dead?”

Scarlet smiled maliciously. He tried to come across as indifferent but she saw right through him. 

“That was the intended result, wasn’t it? 

Rufus moved soundlessly between the guards and stood beside Scarlet. He looked down at Tifa’s body and suddenly he couldn’t breathe. 

_Just like her…_

Scarlet watched Rufus as his face paled and his jaw clenched and unclenched several times as he swallowed repeatedly.

“It was beautiful, too,” Scarlet added. 

“I’m not sure how she got free, but her beating on the door to get out was a nice touch.”

Rufus’ blood ran cold and he took a deep, shuddering breath before he looked at Scarlet. His steely eyes flashed dangerously and she had enough decency to flinch. 

“Leave. Now.”

His tone was low and threatening. If Scarlet was intimidated, she didn’t show it. She simply arched an eyebrow as she cast a look of contempt.

“The show’s over anyway,” she replied with a nonchalant flip of her bangs. 

Rufus huffed impatiently and tried to look anywhere else but at the body that laid before him. He jumped slightly when he felt a hand on his upper arm and then another hand place something inside his. He looked back at her in surprise and then down at the object in his hand. It was his handkerchief. The room seemed to spin as he felt her hot breath at his ear.

“Sorry about your little _plaything_ , sir.”

His head snapped up to glare at her but her high heels click-clacked on the floor behind him as she made her way to the exit. She laughed loudly the whole way and he could hear it echo from the hall as she left.

He didn’t waste another moment and snapped orders at the guards to leave as well. Once he was alone he took a deep breath and finally looked back down at Tifa’s lifeless body. He felt numb. 

How had everything gone so wrong?

He took a careful step towards her and shoved the handkerchief into his pocket as he did. He took another deep breath as he knelt beside her. And another deep breath as he reached to brush her hair from her neck. He had to know for himself.

Two long fingers rested at the side of her neck just under her jaw as they checked for a pulse. His eyes went wide when he felt the soft thrum of heartbeat beneath his fingertips. His hands moved to her shoulders and he turned her over carefully. She remained lifeless aside from the subtle rise and fall of her chest.

Rufus reached into one of his pockets frantically and extracted a phoenix down. He applied it immediately and watched as Tifa’s eyes fluttered open and heard her sharp intake of breath. Her eyes roamed slowly around her until they finally fell upon Rufus. 

“I hate you,” she croaked. 

Her throat felt dry and hoarse.

Rufus couldn’t resist a genuine smile.

“I’m glad to hear you say that.”

Tifa rolled her eyes weakly before shutting them again. She was exhausted. 

“We need to get you to the infirmary.”

Tifa scoffed as her eyes remained closed.

“Cure?”

Rufus sighed. 

“It can’t be known that you weren’t meant to die so I saved your life. But I can bring you in saying they made a mistake pronouncing you dead and to take care of you until we think of something else.”

“We?” Tifa asked weakly.

Rufus blinked several times at her. 

“Me. Until _I_ can think of something else.”

Tifa laughed as best she could.

“Son of a bitch.”

Rufus smirked. If she could curse at him she was doing well enough already. He dug into another pocket and pulled out the handkerchief. He threw it gently onto her chest just below her chin.

“Did you use that to cover your nose and mouth?”

Tifa opened her eyes at the sensation of something landing on her. She slowly brought a hand up to grab it and lift it so she could see. She looked up at him.

“Yeah.”

He smiled again.

“Clever girl. Probably helped.”

Tifa couldn’t comprehend fully what she witnessed in her barely conscious state but she swore Rufus looked happy. Almost elated. He gestured to the material in her hand.

“Hold onto that. It may come in handy again.”

As if to solidify her wavering consciousness, she swore she also saw him wink before he stood up and walked towards the exit. Exhaustion took over and she passed back out before a medical team arrived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, sorry for such a delay! Planning to have the next update a bit quicker. Thank you for reading! Feedback is always welcome. 
> 
> Also, feel free to find/follow me on Twitter @Abs_hysteria. I'll start posting updates there. I'd also love to meet fellow fans!


	3. Revelations and Elevators

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tifa wakes up again. Guess who's by her side?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So uh. Yeah. Super sorry this took so long to update. I ended up re-writing this part at least four different times because I just wasn't satisfied. I finally had a breakthrough and hammered it out in the last two days. I hate myself for taking so long. >.<

Tifa woke later with a splitting headache and incredibly dry mouth, not unlike a few of the hangovers she experienced after celebrating with AVALANCHE. She felt just as disoriented as well. 

Once again she found herself blinking several times as her eyes adjusted to the low lighting, trying to discern where she was at. The room looked familiar as it was the same hospital room she woke up in before. She groaned as she sat up and wondered how she always managed to be nearly killed and succumb to unconsciousness. It was a weary routine that left her feeling frustrated and weak, despite evidence to the contrary.

Her eyes widened when they looked out the window and saw Meteor still hung in the sky as a grim and unavoidable reminder of their impending doom. She hoped it was just another part of her nightmares, a horror she could wake from, but she could never be so fortunate. Her life appeared to be a string of unfortunate events where death and destruction appeared at regular intervals.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when a voice spoke from a corner of the room shrouded in shadow.

“Good, you’re finally awake.”

The source moved from the corner and into the light of the setting sun that snuck through the open blinds so Tifa could see them properly. The clacking of their heels gave them away. Tifa shrunk back and put her fists up as she anticipated a similar assault from her visitor as before. Her cheek was bruised from earlier.

Laughter filled the room as Scarlet threw her head back in derision. 

“Oh sweetheart, I’m not going to hurt you, at least not with my own hands.”

Tifa shuddered. How could someone look so elegant yet sound so absolutely terrifying? She had the fleeting thought it reminded her of another blonde-haired individual. She felt trapped in a den of snakes and she needed to get out.

Tifa eyed her means of escape in which there were only two: the window, which would almost ensure a watery grave into the ocean below or straight out the door and into an enemy territory she was not familiar with at all. She would be recaptured in no time. Her eyes darted to the ceiling and spotted a vent. She contemplated this potential third option. It proved viable before back in Midgar.

Scarlet laughed again. 

“Don’t even think about it, hon.”

Tifa glared at her.

“Security is ordered to kill you on sight if you try to escape, but I’d like to have a little fun first.”

Scarlet smirked and eyed her perfectly manicured nails, an indication she wasn’t worried about Tifa’s escape attempts at all and anticipated her full cooperation. 

“Rufus had his fun. It’s my turn now.”

“I think you mean ‘Mr. President’.”

Tifa jumped at the voice while Scarlet seemed like she half expected to hear it as she rolled her eyes and turned slowly to face him. 

Rufus Shinra appeared in the doorway and stepped quietly into the room. In the shadows and low-light, he appeared quite intimidating, his all-white attire making him appear almost like a spectre. Scarlet remained nonchalant with only a hint of trepidation. As he stepped closer to them and into the light, Tifa could see Rufus’ blue eyes set into a sharp glare. She glanced between him and Scarlet, the tension between them nearly palpable. 

“Sorry, _Mr. President_ ,” Scarlet replied coyly.

Tifa noted she didn’t seem sorry at all. 

“What are you doing here?” he asked tersely. 

Scarlet practically beamed at him. 

“I have some new weapons I wanted to try out and I thought she might be a suitable candidate.” 

She looked back towards Tifa with a shrewd smirk and an eyebrow raised. Rufus followed her gaze and finally looked at Tifa since he entered the room. She wilted slightly as he turned his steely eyes upon her. He looked angrier than she had ever seen him in the short amount of time she spent with him. He looked back towards Scarlet. 

“You're supposed to be drawing up plans to move the cannon to Midgar. I haven't seen those come across my desk yet so I suggest you focus on that instead.”

His voice was like venom and dripped with disdain. Scarlet huffed and tossed a look between him and Tifa before she retorted.

“Looks like you got yourself into someone’s good graces,” she sneered at Tifa. “If he’s anything like his father, it wasn’t hard.”

She smiled sardonically before she brushed past him. 

Rufus and Tifa were left alone with an awkward silence. Even in the low light, she could see Rufus’ face turn red, whether out of embarrassment or anger, she wasn’t sure, but leaned toward the latter. 

“What was that all about? What was she going to do with me?”

Rufus refused to make eye contact. A million thoughts were running through his head and the last thing he wanted to do was try to answer any of her questions. Things were quite messy at the moment and he was still nailing down plans to fix it. The execution was a debacle. AVALANCHE arrived, but Cloud wasn’t with them. Cait Sith’s cover was blown after they attacked Scarlet to save Tifa. This meant he had no way to track the group’s whereabouts. And on top of everything, much to his chagrin, they escaped by stealing his only working airship.

He walked to the window and rested his forearm up against it and then rested his forehead against his arm. He closed his eyes in frustration. He was tired and stressed and Tifa wasn’t supposed to still be here, but yet there was she was, sitting on the hospital bed, small and terrified, probably angrier than ever, and dammit if he didn’t hate Scarlet for being as intuitive as she was cruel and being able to correctly guess that he did, in fact, feel some type of way about Tifa. It wasn’t something he tried to dwell on as there were far more pressing matters at hand and what was the point anyway if everything was going to shit in less than a week. 

Or maybe that was even more of a reason to give the feeling free rein?

He opened his eyes and looked out at the ocean. He gazed at the ominous orb reflected upon the water and hated how it actually looked beautiful.

"Rufus? Er, Mr. President?"

He smiled slightly at the trepidation in her voice and the way she corrected herself. Something about the way she addressed him as President stirred something in him, something that wouldn't do him any good to entertain. He turned towards her finally. 

"Rufus is fine."

He sounded resigned. Tifa was taken aback by his overall demeanor. He felt less like the cold and calculating leader and more like someone who was simply tired and abandoned all pretenses. She briefly wondered what it would be like in his position. It was strange how she began to view him. It was strange all around the circumstance she was in. She never imagined she would spend this much time with _the_ Rufus Shinra to even get this different view of him. She had to wonder also about what Scarlet implied earlier, about Rufus showing her favor and the reason behind it.

Rufus’s eyes roved over her as she considered him. He considered something himself that he knew could easily backfire like everything else had that day. He walked closer to her and became encouraged further when she didn’t shy away.

“You wanna get out of here?”

Tifa swallowed. His eyes were piercing and his voice uncomfortably sultry. Of course, she wanted to get out of here, to run far away and find her friends. But the way he asked, she heard it a million times in her bar. Two people would meet at the bar, strike up small talk, hit it off, and drink the night away until one finally suggests exactly what he asked her. She cringed.

However, she dealt with enough flirtatious patrons at her bar and knew how to handle them and herself and this was her chance. She didn’t know what he had planned, but she would find some way to use it to her advantage. She swung her legs off the bed and onto the floor and stood before him defiantly.

“I want my gear back. Gloves, armor, materia, all of it.”

Rufus looked down at her and raised his eyebrows. She was far shorter than him. She shifted her weight to one foot, placed both hands on her hips, and stared up at him unwavering. She was cute. He smirked. He was quite pleased to see her with some of her usual vigor back. 

“Your wish is my command,” he purred. 

Tifa felt her face flush and was grateful he already turned and strode around the other side of the bed to the small three-drawer dresser beside it. She turned around and watched as he opened the top drawer and removed some items from inside. He then turned and casually tossed her gloves, armor, and materia onto the bed between them.

She looked down at her gear in disbelief and then looked back at him. Her face flushed further and she desperately wanted to wipe the growing smirk off his face. 

“The whole time?” she asked, clearly annoyed.

“The whole time,” he responded plainly, crossing his arms.

Tifa grabbed her gloves and put them on hurriedly, clearly frustrated with herself that she never bothered to look for her gear in the room. She assumed it was confiscated to prevent escape. She donned her armor next and then quickly reviewed her materia to determine their slots. 

Rufus watched as she prepared and raised an eyebrow when he saw a type of energy current roil over her gloves. He wondered briefly what it would be like to fight against her. He heard tales from the Turks. 

"Ready?" he asked when she glared back up at him. 

Tifa looked about the room as if she might be forgetting something and then back at Rufus. 

"Where are you taking me?" 

She was very dubious of the options. Another hospital room, an actual jail cell, or maybe wherever Scarlet initially planned. 

"Where would you like me to take you?" he responded coquettishly 

He moved towards the door and walked out before she could answer. She walked quickly to keep up with him. It was hard to tell underneath the belts and racket he wore about his waist, but she was able to notice his legs were quite long, which allowed for a quick stride.

"Wherever my friends are,” she quipped from behind. 

"Hmm. Can't quite make that happen at the moment,” he threw back at her.

"Why not? Wasn’t that the whole point of all of this?”

He laughed.

"Because they hijacked the only working airship in my fleet and I haven't gotten intel yet on where they went."

Tifa stopped in her tracks.

"They what?!"

He smirked and continued walking ahead of her. 

"That was my reaction,” he called back to her over his shoulder.

She ran to catch up to him and appeared by his side. He cast a sideways glance down at her. 

"So they were here. I thought I saw Cait Sith before I was put in the chamber."

Rufus frowned.

"Yes, and unfortunately he is now out of commission."

"What? Why? What happened?"

Tifa quickly recalled that Cait Sith was controlled by someone working at Shinra and that maybe he had been found out as a double agent. She suddenly feared for that person’s life. 

Rufus stopped and turned to look at her fully.

“His cover was blown when he attacked Scarlet to save you.”

Tifa’s mouth hung open. So he did know. But if he knew and he just said he was out of commission? Tifa’s dread grew.

"She wanted him executed but I was able to get him thrown in jail instead.”

A wave of relief washed over Tifa, grateful that whoever the mysterious person was behind the robot cat and Moogle was not dead. However, she felt uneasy that there seemed to be a lot more going on between her group of friends and Shinra. She had many more follow-up questions but one was most pressing.

"Was Cloud with them?"

Rufus waited for a beat before he replied.

"No."

He watched as Tifa clenched her fists and bit her bottom lip as she looked away and out the bank of windows they happened to stop by. 

"I need to find him."

He regarded her carefully, unsure how to respond. There wasn’t much he could do, he didn’t lie about that. He had no idea where the group was or any good way to get to them. If Cloud was still in the crater, they had no way to get inside until the barrier was destroyed. This was why Scarlet needed to draw up plans to move Sister Ray.

She finally turned back to him and swallowed.

“When will they be back?”

“Hoping to find that out soon.”

Tifa frowned. Rufus sighed.

“Rest assured I want you out of here as badly as you do.”

Tifa glared at him in response.

“Is that why you actually tried to kill me earlier?”

Rufus’s mouth fell open slightly before he caught it and pursed his lips. He set a steely gaze on her and she stared back unblinkingly. 

“What happened today was not what I planned. The gas wasn’t supposed to work when Scarlet flipped it. The door was supposed to open easily. There were fail-safes, but the emergency system overrode everything. The only thing I missed was predicting the Weapon attack.”

Tifa blinked and ruminated over what he just told her. What was Weapon? She couldn’t recall the rumbling of the building or the massive blast to the chamber. She had no idea what happened after the gas came on and she passed out. She couldn’t even remember when Rufus revived her. 

She was very dubious. She was unconscious for an entire week and he could be making anything up at this point. He could have even lied about it being a week!

“I don’t believe anything you say right now.”

Rufus sighed. He knew she must be incredibly confused and highly suspicious. He kept overlooking the fact she was unconscious for a week while everyone else had time to process exactly what was going on in regards to the upcoming apocalypse. But he was also growing tired of repeating himself and attempting to reassure her.

“Then why are you here? Why have you been kept alive and taken care of in this hospital for over a week? Only to simply kill you once you regained consciousness?”

Tifa shrugged.

“I don’t know. Torture maybe? Isn’t that what your company is known for? Kidnapping people and torturing and experimenting until you ultimately kill them?”

Rufus blinked several times and Tifa could tell she struck a nerve as the look on his face was pained and he seemed genuinely offended.

“No, absolutely not.”

Tifa narrowed her eyes.

“Not anymore at least,” he added sharply.

He looked away from her and finally continued walking. 

They walked in silence for a bit while Tifa kept to his right side and a few steps behind. She glanced up to his collar and the back of his head and contemplated different ways she could take him out, but knew he would be armed to the teeth with guns and materia and he was quick to defend, she saw that for herself in his battle with Cloud. Enemy or not, she was very impressed with how quickly he was able to parry and dodge Cloud’s attacks. He was hard to catch off guard. After seeing Cloud in battle so many times, she was surprised to watch him struggle against Rufus. She wondered what type of training he had. 

He kept catching her sizing him up in his periphery, but he resisted turning his head towards her. She could try to pull something if she wanted, that was why he let her have her gear back. Well, mainly to build trust and rapport, but he also contemplated going a round with her. He enjoyed a good fight. He smiled slightly despite himself.

“What’s so funny?” 

They arrived at an elevator. He pushed the button to go up before he turned to look down at her.

“You contemplating different ways to attack me and how I’d like to see you try.”

He leveled an even stare at her to let her know he was serious. While she glared back at him, he retrieved his phone from his pocket while they waited for the elevator. It chimed softly as it arrived and he stepped in casually, not turning around as Tifa followed behind him. He heard her step inside and the doors begin to close as he selected a command on his phone. 

Just as the doors shut completely, he felt a grip on his upper left arm and was spun around quickly before being shoved up against the elevator wall. He choked out a laugh as Tifa pressed her left forearm into his throat and her right hand pinned his left hand to the wall beside his head. She glanced at the screen on the phone in his hand.

“You turned off the cameras?”

Her eyes widened as realization dawned upon her that he anticipated this. He was serious. He wanted a fight.

He could hardly breathe, let alone talk, but managed to choke out a response.

“Just for you.”

His eyes moved from hers to over her shoulder to the panel of buttons by the door.

“Mind selecting the top floor?”

Tifa growled as she looked over her shoulder at the buttons and expertly landed a back kick to the appropriate number without ever letting Rufus go from her hold. He instinctively brought his right hand up to her arm as it pressed further into his neck. She whipped her head back around and smirked.

“Trying to catch your breath there?”

He smirked right back at her. She had no idea this was merely foreplay. 

"You're enjoying this aren't you?"

Or maybe she did. His smirk grew.

"You don't want me to answer that."

Her eyes flared and she pressed even harder against his throat.

“This is how I felt in that stupid gas chamber of yours! Unable to breathe and hating myself for ever trusting you!”

Her face was flushed and tears brimmed at the edges of her eyes as she berated him. His smirk disappeared.

“Do you know how much I hate you and everything you represent?”

He remained silent. 

“Do you know how much I wish I could kill you? How much I wish I had it in me? But I don’t?”

Her hold started to loosen. He found himself still holding onto her arm. 

"Do you know that if it were any other member of AVALANCHE here, they would have taken their shot?"

She released his wrist. He slowly brought his hand down. 

"They all were fine to let your father keep dangling from that rooftop, but I stepped forward to help him, even as I could see the destruction he caused to Sector 7 below."

She lost her fire just as quickly as it appeared and quickly descended into ashes, just like the Sector 7 she mentioned. She finally removed her arm from his neck completely and with his hand still near her elbow, it slid down her arm as she lowered it until he caught her fist in his hand. 

He looked down at it and contemplated how small it was compared to his hand, but how lethal still. She was rather small though, in most regards, but lethal on all counts. This thought threatened his mouth to smile but he resisted the impulse to do so. His eyes flickered carefully up her torso to her face as she gave him a pained look.

"I don't know who I hate most: you or myself." 

She yanked her fist from his hand and turned away from him to stare up at the numbers on the screen as they climbed.

"Where are we going anyway?"

Rufus brought his hand up to his neck and rubbed at his throat. 

"Someplace where you'll probably actually kill me."

Tifa shot him a curious look over her shoulder. He left his face blank. She would figure it out soon enough. 

They rode the rest of the way in silence until the elevator made the same soft chime as before. The doors opened and Tifa tentatively stepped out before him. She found herself in a simple, unadorned hallway with immaculate white walls and only a single elevator at the end of it.

As they approached the new elevator, Rufus retrieved a keycard from his pocket and swiped across the electronic pad. The doors opened immediately and he stepped inside. Tifa remained outside as she grew increasingly apprehensive. The doors began to shut and Rufus threw an arm out to stop them.

"Ready for round two?" 

Tifa stood stock still. As she watched Rufus use the keycard she flashed back to the gas chamber and recalled the key on the ground. Was it a mere coincidence the guard dropped it or was Rufus Shinra telling the truth? 

“Did you have the guard drop a key?”

Rufus looked momentarily confused before he realized what she referenced.

“It was the only thing that went according to plan.”

There was a moment of silence as Tifa contemplated. The elevator doors began to shut again. This time, Rufus made a low growl before he grabbed Tifa by her upper arm and pulled her bodily into the elevator with him. The doors shut as both her hands landed on his chest to prevent slamming into him. She looked up at him as he glared down at her.

“If we could make it to our final destination, I will gladly answer any more questions you may have.”

Tifa blinked up at him as if she were seeing him for the very first time. His glare disappeared and his grip loosened around her arm but he did not let her go.

“What? Do you finally trust me now?”

Tifa blinked again as if to break from a trance and suddenly realized he still held onto her. She quickly pushed away from him and broke free of his grasp. She wrapped her arms about herself and looked away as she blushed slightly.

“I wouldn’t go that far.”

Rufus sighed and smiled at her slightly.

“Of course.”

She looked back at him and smirked. 

The doors chimed once again and slowly opened. Tifa turned and found herself staring into another hallway as before, but this time with a plain, steel door at the end. She swallowed before she walked slowly towards it. Rufus brushed beside her as they crept closer and swiped the same keycard to gain access. 

He grabbed the door handle and looked back at her. For the first time, he looked uncertain, she saw him hesitate, and Tifa was startled by the sudden and terrifying realization of exactly what lay ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, apologies for taking so long! Next part should be up shortly! I know, I know. I said that last time but my ultimate goal is to be completely finished by New Year. By my last estimation, there should just be two more parts: a final chapter and an epilogue. Thanks for sticking with me! <3


	4. Brace for Impact

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rufus and Tifa get to spend a lot more time together before they part ways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the chapter where the tag "Rating May Change" applies. It contains alcohol use and elements of dubcon. Please proceed with caution.

He finally opened the door and held it open for her. Her feet crept slowly forward, they moved on their own volition, like a moth to the flame. She only hoped that unlike the moth, this flame wouldn’t bring about her demise.

She advanced apprehensively past him into the next area and her jaw immediately hit the floor. She looked around at the very large, brightly lit, and professionally curated area with a wall of windows in front of her, which granted a spectacular view of the ocean, and it became obvious her final destination. 

She was in Rufus Shinra's freaking condo. Or penthouse. Or whatever you called it. Growing up in the backwater town of Nibelheim and then living in the slums, she didn't have the words to accurately describe where she was at.

She heard the door click behind her and turned to catch Rufus as he walked towards her carefully. He felt like a predator as it approached its prey, but he truly meant her no harm. Her mouth still hung open and her eyes wandered all over. Her gaze finally landed on him, eyes wide and doe-like, her mouth finally closed into a small pout. 

"Feel free to take a seat." 

He gestured to an area with a large, black leather couch perpendicular to the window and two oversized complementary lounge chairs across from it with a coffee table in the middle. A large credenza was set behind the large chairs against the wall with several bottles of liquor set on top of it along with all the accouterments to mix drinks. The area was obviously set up for unwinding after a long day at work.

She deliberated a moment before she made her way to one of the lounge chairs. She was tired and confused and anxious and felt her best option at this point was simply to comply. He didn’t threaten or give any indication she was in danger. Even if she wanted to fight him, he made it abundantly clear that was exactly what he wanted and she was stubborn enough to not give him the satisfaction. However, this led to the fleeting thought he brought her here for a particular reason. She felt like she was back at Don Corneo's all over again, but less tacky and overtly creepy. She shuddered.

She turned to keep an eye on Rufus but realized too late he was no longer in the room. There were two hallways, one on either side of the large open area. She could hear movement from the right. She raised her fists as the same energy from earlier lapped over them and she set her feet shoulder-width apart into a boxer’s stance. Her heart raced and she took a deep breath. 

After a few agonizing moments where the blood thumped in her ears, Rufus finally reappeared. He removed his coat and tie among several other layers which left him in a pair of unadorned white trousers and a charcoal gray button-up shirt, with the top few buttons undone. He unbuttoned and expertly rolled up the sleeves to his elbows as he walked back into the room. Tifa stared at him as he seemed to pay her no mind, his attention fully and undivided on adjusting his sleeves.

“I’m sure you’re hungry and I haven’t eaten yet either. I was going to call some food up.”

He finished fussing with his sleeves to look up at her and remained unalarmed as he observed her defensive posture.

“Do you have any preference?”

Tifa stared at him in stunned silence as she slowly lowered her fists and brought her feet back together. She observed this “dressed down” version of Rufus in a manner akin to awe. She was dumbfounded at how _normal_ he appeared. He reminded her of the Shinra middle managers that made their way down to the slums after work because they preferred the taste and atmosphere of her hole-in-the-wall bar to the chic cocktail lounges above the plate. However, they were rarely as handsome as him.

Tifa shook her head to clear the unwarranted thoughts and looked down at the floor to conceal the blush she knew was at her cheeks. The sound of Rufus’s soft laughter under his breath caused her to refocus and glare up at him. 

“I think I know your preference,” he remarked knowingly. 

He walked towards her to join her in the seating area and sat down gracefully onto the couch across from her. He brought his right foot up to rest on his left knee and stretched his left arm across the back of the couch while his right hand fetched the phone from his pocket. He whipped it out expertly and began texting on it with one hand. After he sent a single text, he set the phone down beside him and looked at Tifa with his signature smirk. 

Tifa still stood and glared down at him. 

“I think I invited you to take a seat,” Rufus reminded her.

He gestured idly to the lounge chairs behind her with his left hand that rested on the back of the couch. His phone vibrated next to him and he picked it up again with his right hand. Tifa bit her lip as she looked back at the lounge chair behind her as if it were a trap that might devour her as soon as she sat down. She turned and watched Rufus a moment longer as he looked down at his phone and paid her no mind before she finally took a seat. She was careful to fold the back of her skirt underneath her as she sat down. She kept her hands on her knees and sat up straight. She felt incredibly uncomfortable and out of place. 

She tried not to fidget and give away her intimidation while she looked everywhere around the room except at Rufus who still casually scrolled his phone. She wondered briefly if he forgot she was there. As if he could read her thoughts, he finally looked at her. She jumped at the sound of his voice as her eyes darted from a painting on the wall behind him to finally look at him. It unnerved her how he studied her like there was some secret about her that even she didn’t know.

“Would you like a drink?”

Drinks with Rufus Shinra seemed like the worst idea yet but after all the shit she’d been through, she would kill for one. 

She responded with a resolute, “Yes!”

She swore he smiled at her before he placed his hands on his knees and pushed off from the couch. He strode around the coffee table and her chair to the credenza behind her. Her eyes fluttered and her heart raced at the sudden movement as he brushed past her and inhaled a good whiff of his cologne. Her head spun as the course of events over the last 48 hours caught up with her all at once.

“Would you like to do the honors?”

She turned in her chair to look up at him. 

“W-what?” she stuttered in response.

Rufus smirked.

“You run a bar, don’t you?”

“Uh, yeah. I mean, I did.”

She started to look away, saddened by the thought of her bar and everything else she knew destroyed, but he wouldn’t let her wallow. 

“Knock yourself out then.”

She looked back as he gestured to the credenza. She swallowed hard before she stood up slowly and carefully made her way over to him. She stepped in front of the bar and took a quick inventory of the bottles on top of the counter. She gripped the edge as a wave of anxiety overtook her and her heart raced and her mind flashed images of her bar in ruin and fire everywhere. She heard her name called and felt a touch at her shoulder. This snapped her from her episode and she turned quickly towards Rufus. 

“Please tell me I have my own room while I’m here.” 

“Yes, of course.”

“I’d like to be alone for a bit then.”

Rufus nodded in acknowledgment. He turned away from her and headed towards the hallway. She followed quietly after. He reached the guest room and opened the door for her. She was amazed once again by the spaciousness and neatness. Her eyes however immediately locked onto the bathroom. 

A shower. She would kill for a shower.

Rufus followed her line of sight. 

"I can have a change of clothes brought up with the food."

Tifa turned to him and blushed slightly.

"Thanks."

He took his leave quickly and offered one glance back before he shut the door behind him. 

Once she heard the click she went straight into the bathroom and locked the door. As she leaned against it, the tears that perpetually threatened to fall were now free to do so.

"Shit.”

==============

Tifa emerged a bit later and padded softly down the hallway towards the kitchen. She saw Rufus seated on a stool at the bar with a laptop, which he perused intently while taking occasional bites from his plate nearby. She stood in the darkness of the hallway and watched him quietly. 

He pushed back from the counter and raised his arms, hands clasped, and stretched them above his head. They fell to rest on top of his head as he leaned back into the seat. He looked up and closed his eyes and heaved a sigh. He stayed like that for a moment before his eyes shot open and he turned to look at her as she lurked in the hallway. He smirked when he saw her jump.

“Feel better?” 

He brought his arms back down and rested an elbow on the counter as he leaned his head against his hand and regarded her curiously.

Tifa shuffled into the kitchen as she tucked a bit of hair behind her ear. It was still damp but she didn’t care to blow dry it. She looked down at the change of clothes provided. They were the same new recruit outfit from before: Soft white t-shirt with a pair of black sweatpants and the red and gold Shinra logo printed in the upper left quadrant of each article of clothing. She was even grateful when she realized underwear and a sports bra were also included. She hoped whoever brought them up were the ones who placed them in her room and not Rufus. She looked back up and caught him surveying her up and down. 

“Yeah. It’s amazing what a shower can do,” she replied finally as a slight blush tinged her cheeks.

An awkward silence filled the space between them as Tifa fussed with the hem of her shirt and Rufus continued to regard her quietly. His eyes were drawn to the wet hair about her shoulders and how it left parts of her shirt wet. 

Tifa cleared her throat.

“Erm, listen,” she started, wholly unsure of herself. 

“I was thinking in there and…” she stopped and bit her lip, unsure of the words that started to bubble forth.

“I think I was a bit harsh earlier, in the elevator I mean. You’ve been...hospitable and...nice enough to bring me here. And let me shower. I’m especially glad I have my own room. And…”

She stopped abruptly once she realized she was rambling out of nervousness. He wouldn’t stop staring at her! The way he looked at her, she wasn't unfamiliar with the glint that would appear in his eyes. She felt her cheeks burn. It wasn't just her anxiety and fear and uncertainty that kept her on edge and frazzled. She recalled all the different times he touched her, even if only for a moment. When she changed from her clothes she found the handkerchief. It still smelled strongly of him. 

She fumbled over the last of her words.

“Anyway, I’m sorry. And thank you.”

A small smile crept onto Rufus’s lips as he reached for the tumbler filled with his choice of poison and took a careful sip. 

“You have nothing to apologize for,” he responded coolly. “And,” he continued as he set the glass back down and made a point to meet her gaze. 

“It was my pleasure.”

Tifa was not prepared for the velvet timbre of his voice and the way it slid up her spine in a shiver. She crossed her arms about her as she advanced further into the kitchen, trying to divert her attention to the smell of food and away from the effect of Rufus’s voice on her.

“I imagine you’re hungry.”

The effect was gone now. He had done that just for her. She would feign upset if she weren’t so hungry and just plumb tired. Instead, she latched onto the change of subject eagerly.

“Yes! I’m starved.”

“Go on then, help yourself.”

Tifa hurried forward and surveyed the food on the counter. Her eyes grew wide and her mouth fell open. He ordered an entire buffet! The warmers contained a myriad of dishes from rice to udon noodles to various meats in different sauces and to her most pleasant surprise, a colorful bounty of stir-fried vegetables.

She looked up at him in delight and his eyebrows shot up in response. It was the happiest he’d seen her the entire time. He grew used to her dour expressions and tears, but now she gushed at him. 

"Fresh vegetables are rare in the slums! Everything looks so delicious!”

Rufus watched as the pile of food grew higher and higher on her plate. She skimped on nothing. He was used to being on dates and at fancy dinners where the women only ate dainty salads. Tifa had no shame. 

He was glad to see it.

"You can always go back for seconds."

Tifa stared at him and then looked down at her plate. She’d gotten a little carried away. She stood frozen for a moment looking at the other side of the counter where Rufus sat, contemplating where to sit. He nodded his head to the empty stool on his right.

He watched as she sat down and took several bites. She seemed oblivious to him until a blush finally crept onto her cheeks and she finally turned towards him. 

"Hmm?"

She mumbled in between a big bite of food. She knew she wasn’t his most poised dinner companion, but while she was in the shower she decided to drop all pretenses and let them wash down the drain along with the soap and water. What else were you to do when the world was going to end in mere days and you were standing naked in your enemy’s guest bathroom?

"You know, I was thinking about something you said earlier."

She swallowed the last of her food and reached to take a drink, but realized she had none. He slid from his stool smoothly and went to the fridge. He came back and set a bottle of water beside her. She blinked at it. It was in a glass bottle and looked more like one of the few fancy beers she served at her bar. 

"It's water," Rufus reassured her. "Unless you'd like an actual drink." 

Tifa shook her head. She undid the cap and took a large sip. 

"What were you thinking about?" 

"Did you really try to save my father?"

Tifa gulped down more water before she looked at him, suddenly reminded that his father was indeed dead and she wasn’t sure how he felt about that. She frowned.

“Yeah, I tried.”

Rufus laughed.

“Don’t feel bad about it. He was going to die either way.”

Tifa noticed the sharpness of his laugh and the dark expression on his face. Tifa remembered that night vividly for many reasons. The flash of steel slicing through the former President being one of them.

“Yeah,” she responded absently. “I never expected to see him again”

She didn’t need to say the name.

Rufus laughed again. It jostled her from her dark reverie. 

“Yes, Sephiroth did do me that favor.”

Tifa stared at him and her brow furrowed as a fuzzy epiphany floated at the edge of her mind’s comprehension. 

_He was going to die either way._

He smirked at her. 

“Would you like that drink now?”

He was reckless by bringing her here. Did he plan to spill his secrets and share a drink with her? No, but did he also plan on her taking a shower? Definitely not, but he didn’t dare think too much about it. He could smell the shampoo, _his_ shampoo, when she walked into the kitchen and it damn near wrecked him. But what did it all matter if the world was ending in a matter of days.

Against her better judgment, Tifa nodded and allowed him to pour her a drink. He slid the glass her way and she stared down into its amber depths, wishing she could drown in it. By the smell of it, it was whiskey and definitely top shelf. She contemplated how much better she’d feel if she allowed its warmth to enter her veins, numb her frayed nerves and dull the anxious ache in her chest. 

She grabbed the glass and threw it back in one clean gulp and slammed it back down on the counter. She made a face as her throat burned and didn’t care as he chuckled at her.

“Rough day?”

Tifa glared daggers at him even as they watered and slid the glass back over for a refill. He raised one eyebrow at her before he obliged and poured another generous shot. She started to slide the glass back towards her but his hand grabbed her wrist.

“Wait. Let’s toast."

Tifa stared incredulously. 

“Toast to what?”

He smiled sardonically.

"My dead father."

Tifa balked at him and didn't even raise her glass once he released her wrist. Instead, he simply slid his glass to touch hers in an elegant "tink".

"Cheers," he said as he winked at her and brought the glass to his lips. 

She shook her head in bewilderment and finished the rest of her meal in silence while questioning every single decision that had brought her to this point. Rufus eyed her thoughtfully before he returned to his work on his laptop. 

==============

They were several glasses in when they finally moved from the kitchen bar to the couch.

Rufus poured himself another glass and caught the odd expression on Tifa’s face. Her cheeks were flushed from the alcohol.

“What is it?”

Her cheeks grew a shade darker. He felt his own effects from the whiskey as it burned around his collar. 

“I don’t want to say.”

He leaned back against the couch.

“Fine. I won’t make you.”

He took a measured sip from his glass as his eyes stayed trained on her. After a beat or two, she decided to speak up. 

“This feels like a date.”

Rufus laughed. Tifa quickly finished her drink from embarrassment and poured another glass. She just took a sip as Rufus responded.

“Would you mind if it were?”

Tifa sputtered her drink back into her glass. He chuckled. She stared at him as he lounged casually on the couch, arms spread wide as they rested on the back, his drink in one hand, which he swirled expertly before it was brought to his lips and sipped. The way he looked at her over the rim made her heart jump into her throat.

She knew what he was capable of and was able to ignore his milder indiscretions from previous interactions. She was a bartender, of course, and was used to flirtatious advances and come-ons, but she was woefully unprepared as she was caught in the center of his crosshairs. It was a clean shot. 

“Is that why you brought me here?”

It was all she could manage to get out and feel like she saved some face. 

He laughed again and she waited for his response. He simply stared and smiled suggestively at her before taking another sip.

"Are you expecting some kind of favor? For being so generous and sparing my life?"

The thought of being with him made her blush profusely. She was certain he could feel the heat of it as he sat next to her. She looked away quickly and down into her drink.

"Absolutely not." 

His breath was hot at her neck as he brushed her damp hair aside and over her shoulder. She shuddered and froze, afraid to turn her head and look at him. She didn’t even hear him move closer to her.

"But if that's how you want to express your gratitude, I doubt I have the wherewithal to stop you." 

His voice hung low and dangerously seductive against her ear. She finally turned her whole body towards him and nearly came nose to nose with him. Glassy blue eyes focused on her pink lips. Soft fingertips caressed her warm cheek that delivered an exhilarating shiver down her spine. She closed her eyes and braced for impact. 

His lips were warm and soft as they moved against hers. His hand brushed by her cheek and into her hair. He tasted of alcohol and smelled just as intoxicating. Her head spun with the onslaught of her senses. Her lips seemed to move on their own accord, messily following his. 

She felt like she was being torn in half. It was wrong, all wrong. He started to pull away but she suddenly grabbed at his collar to keep him there. There was a low chuckle as his lips departed and he rested his forehead against hers.

"I was only setting my drink down."

His hand stayed resting against her neck as he turned and leaned to set the glass down on the coffee table. Her hand fell from his collar and back around her drink in her lap. However, it was quickly plucked from her hands as he set it down on the table as well. 

His thumb rubbed behind her ear as he moved towards her again. She looked up and his lips brushed against hers again. 

"I know you're probably better than this," he uttered at the corner of her mouth. 

Was he giving her an out? She knew she should take it, but the smile that started at the corner of her mouth where his lips just met ultimately betrayed her. What did he say earlier? That he wouldn’t be able to stop her? She couldn’t even stop herself. 

Her hands were at his shoulders and then in his hair as he kissed down her neck. She felt him murmur in assent as her fingers wove through silken strands. It looked soft to the touch but she never imagined this soft. 

He kissed back up her neck and to her lips again. His tongue danced at her full bottom lip until her mouth acquiesced. The kiss deepened and she felt a hand go up to her back, pulling her closer to him. His other hand rested just above her hip. She became keenly aware of it as he kissed her hungrily and his fingers raked against her shirt. 

Rufus marveled at how receptive she was. He was certain she would have laid him out already but instead, her fingers worked clumsily at the buttons on his shirt. His hand slipped underneath her shirt and to her waist. The skin there singed his hand. She was so damn warm and soft. 

His other hand wove into her hair. It was still damp. He thought of her in the shower. The hand at her waist gripped harder and he was rewarded with a pleasant "mmm". He deftly pulled her onto his lap as he bit at her bottom lip. She gasped into his mouth. He devoured it before he moved to her neck again. He wanted to taste every inch of her. He went to her ear lobe and teased it with his tongue. She undulated in his lap before she moaned his name. 

He started to lift her shirt. She froze and her hands pushed at his bare chest until they finally broke away. They were both panting. His hand at her neck pulled her forehead to his as he looked into her eyes.

"You're making me sweat."

Tifa was generous as she offered a nervous laugh and pulled her shirt back down.

"I'm drunk."

He looked down between them and found his hand had made its way underneath her shirt, poised to climb. He didn't remember moving it. Her skin still burned his hand. He removed it quickly.

"We both are," he offered as an excuse.

A silence fell between them, the only sound being their breath, hot against each other's faces. 

Tifa couldn't help but share a small smile at him. His face was flushed and his hair mussed. It made him look younger and more boyish. And if it was even possible, all the more handsome. She traced a finger along his jawline.

His eyes fluttered closed. Her smile. It radiated a warmth that he sorely missed in his life. It made him crave something he hadn't felt in a long time, something foreign and repressed. He captured her lips again. The kiss was measured and languid and felt astonishingly more intimate than anything that transpired in the previous moments. 

Her hands moved up his chest to behind his neck as her arms rested on his shoulders. His hands moved up to cup either side of her face as their lips lingered against each other.

"Rufus…"

"Hmm?" 

He hummed against her lips. His hands fell to her waist again as he teased her bottom lip. He was quite partial to its soft fullness. She wiggled in his lap.

"We should go to bed."

His heart raced and he kissed her more ardently as hands grabbed at her waist eagerly. Tifa gasped at his response. It was not what she meant at all. She fought to break away and stared at him breathlessly. 

"I mean, it's late. And we shouldn't…"

She would have to try harder than that as he refused to hear her and conquered her lips yet again. His hand wove into her hair as the other moved up her waist. He wanted to remind her of who he was and what he was capable of and that in all her time spent with him, this was the most danger she'd been in. He wanted this now, alarmingly so. He tried to hold back some type of feeling about her, but her tongue in his mouth swirled with whatever inhibition he had left and he didn't stand a chance. 

"What are you afraid of?" 

His low voice rumbled against her lips before he moved onto her neck. Her hands alighted on his bare shoulders as his shirt fell down his arms.

Things were moving fast and she couldn't remember how she got into his lap. Fingertips brushed the underside of her bra as his lips left a steamy trail down her neck, hot breath traveling further than before.

Her eyes fluttered as if waking from a trance and she instantly became rigid. His hands ceased their movement as he sighed into her neck. She used both hands on his chest to push away and nearly fell out of his lap and onto the floor. Rufus wrapped an arm around her waist to catch her just in time. He reluctantly moved her off his lap and shifted away from her.

She looked down at her hands in her lap as he buttoned his shirt. She felt possessed. Did that really just happen? Rufus on the other hand felt like a bucket of ice water dumped on him. Admittedly, he had entertained the thought of being with her, but he never imagined it would get that far. 

He finished buttoning his shirt and finally glanced at Tifa. She already looked right at him, an immense blush canvased her cheeks.

“You’re right. We should go to bed.”

He stood up quickly and walked around the back of the couch to the hallway where his room was located. If he was too curt, he didn’t mean it. He just had for more _pressing_ matters and was eager to leave the room before she noticed. However, if the redness of her cheeks was any indication, it was too late. 

Tifa was left alone in the living room. She could hear the shower start from down the hall. She wanted to laugh but the gravity of the situation weighed upon her. What just happened? What had they done? She shook her head of incoming thoughts and laid down on the couch. She knew she should go to her room but she was afraid of trying to stand and walk. Within minutes, her eyes fluttered closed as she fully succumbed to the whiskey’s lullaby and passed out.

============

The hand was rough on her shoulder as it shook her awake. Once again, her eyes flew open to a disorienting scene and her throat was raspy and dry. She rubbed her bleary eyes and rolled over onto her back. The early morning sun poured in from the large windows and she flinched away from the brightness. He smirked down at her.

He was already dressed and ready in his usual white regalia. He received an early morning email from Reeve that catapulted him from the bed while it also left a strange knot in his stomach. AVALANCHE would be rolling through soon and Tifa would be gone. While he was relieved she would finally be reunited with her friends and no longer his responsibility, he had grown quite fond of her presence, especially after last night.

“Your crew will be here any minute. They think they know where Cloud is.”

Tifa sat up quickly and instantly regretted it. She squinted her eyes and put a hand to her head. He knew it was a big thing to dump on someone first thing in the morning, especially with a hangover, but time was of the essence. 

“If you don’t have an Esuna, I can let you use mine to help with the hangover. You need to get ready.”

Tifa couldn't process everything that was going on. Her head spun with the news she could finally leave and the hazy events from last night. He looked so put together now but all she could think about was him coming undone underneath her. 

She stood up from the couch suddenly. The room spun and she sat right back down. A familiar green light surrounded her and her head instantly cleared. She looked up at him and smiled. 

“Hurry. I’m sure you’re excited to see them.”

Tifa tried to study the peculiar look on his face, but he turned away from her and went to look out the window. She stood up slowly and watched him for a moment before she finally ran to her room.

=================

“Do you want this back?” 

They stood just inside the door leading to the helipad attached to his condo. It was a similar setup to his office in Midgar. Rufus looked down at the familiar handkerchief she offered him and laughed.

“No, I’ve told you before. Keep it. A parting gift.”

Tifa smiled in return and contemplated acting on an impulse. She reached up to touch his face and stood on tippy-toes to kiss him. He welcomed the unexpected gesture by bowing his head lower to hers and responded enthusiastically. Tifa laughed against him and pulled away. He was left dazed and thoroughly pleased.

“What was that for?”

He wrote off last night as a drunken romp and refused to read anything into it or try to get anything else from it. He assumed she would feel the same, but apparently he was wrong. 

“A parting gift.”

There was her smile again. He wanted to pull her towards him again but the din of engines and blades shook both of them from the moment.

“They’re here,” he announced.

Tifa looked towards the door and appeared to hesitate.

“Are you okay?”

Her head whipped back to him in an instant. A question like that coming from him rocked her. 

“Yeah, it’s just,” She looked down at her feet. “We’ve been running around for weeks. And this,” She looked back at him. “It was a nice break.”

Rufus smiled at her.

“It was definitely interesting.”

He grabbed her arm and pulled her close so their lips could meet once again. She indulged him for a moment before she broke the kiss. She blushed and looked down as she tucked a bit of hair behind her ear. 

“Good luck Rufus.”

She started to pull away and his hand slid down her arm to grab her hand. He was able to hold it for a second before it slipped through.

“Goodbye Tifa.”

She looked up and caught the peculiar expression from before. He indicated towards the door before she could study it for too long. She opened the door and spared him one more glance before heading towards the center of the helipad. She brought a hand to her forehead to shield her eyes from the wind and looked up as her hair whipped around her. 

A ladder fell and Tifa grabbed onto a rung above her and placed her feet on the bottom. She turned to look back at Rufus. He watched from the doorway with one hand in his pocket as the other flipped a coin through his fingers. She felt a sad smile creep across her lips and she waved at him. He caught the coin deftly in his hand and gave a short wave back.

They both wondered if they would ever see each other again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, that's it folks! This is the first fic I've ever finished. Y'all are lucky! I do have an epilogue planned, but it will be a stand-alone piece (one-shot) and will be rated at least "Mature". Keep an eye out!


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